This Texas & Pacific express boxcar (note the steam and signal lines) is labeled for mail storage and painted in the road’s passenger colors. Roy C. Meates photo […]
Fancy-dress boxcar
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What’s happening in Southern California model railroad operations
Model railroad operations weekends offer a fun way to learn about others’ layouts, meet new people, and if you’re a magazine editor, find new model railroads to feature in the magazine. At the beginning of summer 2022, I headed west to SoCalOps, an operating weekend centered around the Simi Valley in suburban Los Angeles. I […]
Toxic chemicals on model railroads throughout history
Can you believe hobbyists used to use toxic chemicals on model railroads? In the days before hobby shops sold premade scenery and wiring products, hobbyists made their own. Unfortunately, some of the materials weren’t very safe. Note: We’re providing this article for information and entertainment only. We are definitely not endorsing any of these substances […]
48-foot intermodal container and chassis sets from Athearn
48-foot intermodal container and chassis Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $39.99 Era: 1990s+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Chassis feature mudflaps and rolling wheels Release date: November 2023 Road names: Conrail (Conrail Mercury container on black BNZ chassis); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (white container with […]
Maintenance of way employees reject national contract with Class I railroads
NOVI, Mich. – Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees union have rejected the tentative national agreement that was reached last month with the U.S. Class I railroads. Some 56% of the rank and file voted against the contract, the union announced on Monday. Union leaders and the National Carriers Conference Committee that […]
Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains
Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains: All through October 2022, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, spirit, and grit of the Bangor & Aroostook, also known as the BAR by some. Please enjoy this photo gallery first published in January 2016 from images selected from Kalmbach Media’s David P. […]
Designing a Free Mo module
A while ago, I wrote about the Free-Mo modular standard. This month I thought I would share my thought processes while designing a Free Mo module. I’ll let you in on a secret: We’re planning on building our 2024 project layout as a series of Free-Mo modules. So my goal here is designing a Free […]
Beyond the byline with Greg McDonnell
What was your first byline in Trains? “Beyond the 100-inch isoline — Railroading in the Lake Huron snowbelt,” published in the February 1980 issue. I began reading Trains at age 8 (the September 1963 issue) and aspired from that moment to write for Trains. I was never confident enough to submit anything until the summer of […]
Amtrak Wolverine to Chicago delayed more than 13 hours
CHICAGO — Some details have emerged from an ill-fated Friday, Oct. 7, trip of Amtrak Wolverine No. 351, the morning departure from Pontiac, Mich., which arrived in Chicago more than 13 hours late. The trip, scheduled for a trip of 5 hours, 49 minutes with a 10:32 a.m. arrival finally reached Chicago Union station at […]
Advocacy group says MBTA Orange Line service is slower than before maintenance shutdown
BOSTON — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid-transit Orange Line is slower than it was prior to a 30-day shutdown for major repairs, the Boston Herald reports, citing data from Boston-area advocacy group TransitMatters. Combined with service cuts reflecting the agency’s shortage of dispatchers — a response to directives from the Federal Transit […]
BNSF’s new Sandpoint, Idaho, bridge nears opening
SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s nearly mile-long second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint is now structurally complete and tracklaying has begun. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent says, “The new bridge will have trains operating over it by the end of November.” Initially, the second main will be laid from a point near the northwest […]
UP-sponsored training center to open in New Mexico
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Ceremonies to mark a new workforce training center funded through a grant from Union Pacific are set for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Dona Ana Community College in Sunland Park, near Santa Teresa, N.M., and El Paso, Texas. The ribbon-cutting will be held at 10 a.m. The Las Cruces Bulletin reports the Union […]
